Cordyceps is the strangest entry in any mushroom cabinet: in the wild, Ophiocordyceps sinensis infects caterpillars high on the Tibetan Plateau, mummifying the host and sprouting a club-shaped fruiting body — a 'caterpillar fungus' worth more than its weight in gold to traditional medicine. Because the wild form is rare and ecologically fraught, the cultivated, vegan-grown Cordyceps militaris (bright orange clubs on grain or substrate) now supplies most of the market. It is consumed as a medicinal tonic — simmered into broths and teas or taken as extract for purported stamina, energy, and athletic support — not as a culinary mushroom, and human evidence remains preliminary.
Mildly sweet, earthy-mushroomy; taken as tonic tea or extract, not a dish.
Cultivated (C. militaris) year-round; wild Tibetan harvest is a brief late-spring window.
Identification is a chain of clues that must all agree. This is a reference, not an identification authority -- confirm every wild find with an expert.
Wild dong chong xia cao is heavily faked with molded dough or lead-weighted specimens. Buy cultivated militaris or from trusted sources.
Cultivated C. militaris is bright orange finger-like clubs grown in jars. Wild O. sinensis emerges from a mummified caterpillar. Buy from reputable suppliers; wild trade has heavy adulteration. Medicinal, not food; consult a clinician for health use.